The Isle of Coll in Summer - Naturetrek Tour Report - cloudfront.net
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The Isle of Coll in Summer
Naturetrek Tour Report 4th – 11th June 2021
Map-winged Swift Early Marsh Orchid
Tour report and images by Greg Smith
Tour Chequered Skipper
Naturetrek Mingledown Barn Wolf's Lane Chawton Alton Hampshire GU34 3HJ UK
T: +44 (0)1962 733051
E: info@naturetrek.co.uk W: www.naturetrek.co.uk
Tour Report The Isle of Coll in Summer Tour Participants – Greg Smith (Leader) with four Naturetrek clients. Summary A lovely week in the Inner Hebrides with a typically friendly and interesting Naturetrek group. We had the usual mix of island weather with some sunny days and some wet and windy ones. We managed 82 species of bird, including Puffins from the ferry, daily Hen Harriers and lovely breeding-plumage Turnstones. Everyone had great fun watching the Corncrake as it scampered across the car park and then kept poking its head above the buttercups in the meadow. On the final morning, a pair of Red-throated Divers came to see us off on the ferry. On another occasion, a local Otter put on an all-too-brief show for us. The mix of habitats on Coll once again produced an outstanding array of wildflowers with over 150 species recorded during the week. Pride of place surely goes to the two forms of the Early Marsh Orchid (var coccinea and var incarnata), but we also saw carpets of Heath Spotted Orchids, Pipewort and Water Lobelia rosettes in an upland loch, and a dozen different species of seaweed washed up on one of the beaches. After a slow start everywhere this year, the moths at last turned up for us, with Hebridean specialities such as Belted Beauty and Map-winged Swift among a dozen species seen on the island during the week. A real bonus of this trip was the extra day spent on the mainland which enabled a sneaky trip to Glasdrum Wood NNR for privileged views of Britain’s rarest butterfly, the Chequered Skipper, two species of Pearl-bordered Fritillary and an amazing array of day-flying moths and woodland birds. Day 1 Saturday 5th June Glasdrum Wood NNR and Fearnoch Forest, Argyll It’s the start of another week on the Isle of Coll with Naturetrek. But before we headed out on the CalMac ferry to Coll, we had a special treat for this group: a day visiting the ancient woodlands and not so ancient plantations of Argyll. It’s just a short drive from Oban to Loch Creran for our first stop, so we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast at the hotel, before piling into the minibus and hitting the road. Our guide has been put out by the theft of a packet of cakes from the open window sill of his hotel room. The miscreant, an innocent-looking Herring Gull (can Herring Gulls ever be said to look innocent with those beady eyes and stern brows!), was loafing in the car park as if to say “Who, me?!” – tell-tale crumbs notwithstanding. Our destination this morning is arguably the best lepidopteran site in Scotland, hosting an array of rare species in a dramatic location surrounded by wonderful habitats from sea-loch to mountaintop: Glasdrum Woods NNR. Although our primary objective was the ultra-rare Chequered Skipper, we spent time admiring the wildflowers (including a pure white Heath Spotted Orchid trying to trick us into thinking it was a Greater Butterfly Orchid) and enjoying the persistent, trilling song of a Wood Warbler. Soon we reached a strip of regularly-cut vegetation beneath some power-lines which creates a linear glade through the woodland and a Chequered Skipper quickly revealed itself, tiny but bright as a gem. In the warmth they were very active and never quite presented themselves for the perfect photograph but everyone managed decent views. Then the other highlight of these woods, the Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary, took to the wing, up to half-a-dozen at once, and soon we were strung out along the ride each watching a group of flowers (Dog Violet, Tormentil and Marsh Thistle) waiting for a butterfly to alight. Soon we decided to head further up into the woods to leave the butterflies for other visitors to enjoy, but our delight was by no means curtailed. Often over-looked for the supposedly gaudier butterflies, our day-flying moths are every bit as charismatic and characterful. In a short period, we had clocked up a Mother Shipton’s (with a caricaturist’s portrait on each wing), a black Chimney Sweeper (a once abundant © Naturetrek July 21 1
The Isle of Coll in Summer Tour Report species of lowland hay meadows, now as greatly diminished as its habitat), several Clouded Borders (always keen to hide from prying eyes on the underside of leaves), the bracken-loving Brown Silver-lines and, best of all, a tiny dancer: the magical White-spotted Sable. Our tour of the woods took in a good range of woodland birds as well including Tree Pipit, Redstart, Garden Warbler and Blackcap. What a wonderful place and thanks to Nature Scot for keeping it that way through their management. It would have been rude to overlook the picnic bench by the carpark, so we munched our hotel packed lunches here, making the most of what was left of our guide’s gull-depleted cake supply (thankfully he had over-catered!) and taking many photos of the picturesque valley and loch. Next on our list was Fearnoch Forest, a commercial forest run by Forestry and Land Scotland. Here too we were greeted by the sibilant song of another Wood Warbler, as we set off around the Three Bridges circuit. This took us along the main forest rides, which were lined by some vast and very active Wood Ant nests. Our guide indulged in a lesson from the dark recesses of his chemistry O-level: a form of Litmus test. A bright blue Bluebell flower was used to disturb the surface of a nest and the agitated soldier ants defend the nest by squirting the flower with formic acid from a modified stinger on their abdomens. This in turn breaks down the anthocyanin, which gives the flower its blue colour, turning it pink. The ant nest had another glorious surprise in store for us when we found a large, electric green chafer Cetonia cuprea munching on the flowers of a Rowan tree – it turns out that this beetle spends its formative years living in the heart of those well-defended wood ant nests! Plenty of interesting flowers on the trackside (including Sanicle and Water Avens) hinted at a more interesting history to this wood. After a while, we decided to follow a smaller path into the wood itself and soon found ourselves in a clearing where a small party of Common Crossbills ‘chipped’ noisily and flew into the one remaining tall tree in the glade. Some hasty record shots were fired off and then away they flew, calling again. The path became less distinct from here but we soon found ourselves heading down an animal track beside a stream where the delicate Wood Horsetail was growing in profusion. Then back to the hotel for an early dinner and an early night, before tomorrow’s early ferry. Day 2 Sunday 6th June Oban to Arinagour ferry and island orientation A brisk south-westerly wind made for a challenging two-and-a-half hour crossing from Oban to the Isle of Coll. Not that the sea was especially rough but the wind was cold and buffeted the watchers on the open deck. Black Guillemots were swimming in the harbour as we set off and a small group of Harbour Porpoises were feeding in the swirling tidal currents where Loch Linnhe, the Sound of Mull and the Firth of Lorn all meet. We scanned the hills of Mull, Morvern and Ardnamurchan for eagles, without success. But fortified with breakfast and coffee from the ship’s galley, we were soon back upstairs again for the short open sea crossing to Coll. Here a few Puffins and Guillemots were evident as they waited for the ship to pass them before scarpering, either by diving or flying away. Kittiwakes, with their deliciously bold black wingtips, and huge Gannets cruised past the ship and, as Coll drew near, distant views of dolphins and (what can only have been) a Minke Whale were enjoyed by some in the group. 2 © Naturetrek July 21
The Isle of Coll in Summer Tour Report On landing at Arinagour, we were greeted by the raised arch of a Fin Whale’s jawbone, rather dwarfed by the ferry terminal building and jetty. As we deposited our bags at Tigh na Mara, the guest house where we were to spend the week, we got a lovely sense of what was in store for us as we were welcomed by a large cafetiere of coffee and a plate of home-made scones. From here we were taken on a tour of the little village, with its three piers marking the decades of progress from rough stone platform, via dressed stone and concrete jetty, to shiny steel linkspan. A delightful forest of Fairy Foxglove was in full flower on a roadside wall, as we went into the recently refurbished Coll Hotel for our lunch. We certainly did a lot of eating on that first day! But we got a good sense of what lay ahead on the wildlife front too, as a male Hen Harrier powered through the hotel’s beer garden. Next we were back into the van for a tour of the island, taking in the extensive moorland and bogs of the Lewisian gneiss, the blown dunes of shelly sand which make up the machair, and the farmed areas where Brown Hares and Corncrakes vied for our attention. A lawn of Thrift playing host to a pair of ridiculously photogenic Highland cows (or ‘coos’ to give them their proper name) distracted us briefly and we all piled out of the minibus to snap them. Back on the road, a couple of Bonxies (Great Skuas) flew over our heads, at times Early Purple Orchids and Heath Spotted Orchids lined the roadside, and Linnet, Wheatear and Rock Doves made the first of many appearances. Other highlights of this first island trip were: a striking four-horned Manx Loaghtan sheep, a cascade of Common Juniper on a rock face and a pair of Redshank posing on fence posts. We jumped out again for a short walk on the machair, as the sun shone briefly, to see if we could track down one of the island’s specialities, the Short-necked Oil Beetle. As it happens we couldn’t, but we did see the first of countless millions of bronze and green Garden Chafers as well as some of the lovely flowers of the machair, including Hairy Rock-cress, Kidney Vetch, Lesser Meadow-rue and Common Milkwort. Finally back to the guest house for a chance to relax and unpack. Day 3 Monday 7th June Beinn Feall and Feall Bay area A morning drive across the island produced our first sighting of Arctic Skuas and then a couple of noisy Cuckoos on the power lines. We got out to study the previous day’s orchid collection – a wonderful sight to behold among the Marsh Marigolds – but, try as we might, we couldn’t tease any other orchid species out of them. Next, to the RSPB car park at Crossapol, where the surrounding fields are managed especially for Corncrakes and wintering geese. A rasping Corncrake song from one of the taller vegetation patches alerted us to its presence but the bird didn’t show itself. A couple of Ravens croaked overhead and low-flying Sand Martins escorted us along the seemingly never-ending species-rich grassland of what was once Coll’s airstrip (one of five that have been used over the years!) We ascended Beinn Feall and enjoyed the views to north and south. Northwards was the sea, where Shags (early breeders whose shaglet-rearing was now over for another year) were enjoying a spa day, splashing and bathing to clean off the grime of three months of nest-building, egg-sitting and food-supplying. To the south, we enjoyed © Naturetrek July 21 3
The Isle of Coll in Summer Tour Report commanding views of the Castle Plain all the way across to the two castles on the opposite shore at Breachacha. As we clambered down off the hilltop, via a prehistoric chambered cairn and an iron-age fort, we found new locations for a couple of scarce plants on the island: Changing Forget-me-not on the machair and Hart’s-tongue Fern on the cliffs. Our first lunch of the day, on a rocky ledge, gave us further sea-watching opportunities, though the riot of colour on the cliff behind us was more inviting with Sea Campion, Primrose, Bird’s-foot Trefoil, Roseroot and Sea Spleenwort. Here a single Fulmar viewed us from its nest among the floral splendour. The sunshine beckoned us to the glorious beach below, a mile of white sands and blue seas worthy of any tropical paradise. The presence of a phycologist in the group (someone who knows about seaweed) gave us a marvellous bonus as we learned about the mysteries of the deep washed up on the shoreline: it was ‘Fucus this’ and ‘Laminaria that’ as we struggled to memorise the names of a dozen species of wracks and kelps. The highlight was undoubtedly the many corpse-like specimens of Furbelows (Saccorhiza polyschides) our largest seaweed which we examined as in a scene from Alien Autopsy. Also on the strand-line were an abundance of Garden Chafers which had gathered like lemmings to be hoovered up by the small flock of Sanderlings which scurried along the beach ahead of us. There was no end to the sea’s bounty of destruction as we walked along: Common Starfish, Comb Jellies and Edible Crabs, were joined by Spider Crabs, a Moon Jellyfish and even a Sand Eel (the latter would no longer die in the way every Sand Eel must dream: in the bill of a Puffin returning to its pufflings!) Strangest of all was a live Common Lizard right at the water’s edge, which revived when released back into the dunes at the top of the beach. After all this excitement we took a second lunch, on a grassy knoll covered in Spring Squill, in hope of an otter but the only Scottish mammals we were able to turn up were half-a-dozen Grey Seals. Refreshed once again, if a little frustrated, we retraced our steps along the beach before turning into the machair beyond it. Here we were greeted by the glory of Coll: umpteen different species of wild flowers blooming all around us on the machair. Within a few steps we had seen Sea Mouse-ear, Bloody Cranesbill, Thyme-leaved Sandwort, Crested Hair-grass, Downy Oat-grass, Crested Dog’s-tail, Dog Violet, Field Pansy, Common Vetch, Meadow Vetchling and Sand Sedge. In the dune slacks were more delights with literally hundreds of one of our specialist Hebridean beauties, the coccinea form of the Early Marsh Orchid. In the minibus home, we were all rather exhausted but ecstatic after a great day in the field – and we still got a buzz from another pair of Arctic Skuas as they flew by over the moors. Day 4 Tuesday 8th June Moth trap then Killunaig to Loch à Mhill Aird Our leader’s moth trap had died the previous week, but thanks to our friends at RSPB Coll he’d managed to borrow one. So (after a calm and dry night) we began day 4 on the north side of the island at our leader’s cottage gazing in awe at some of nature’s most impressive mini-beasts: including Poplar and Elephant Hawk-moths and Hebridean specialities such as Belted Beauty and Map-winged Swift. Then all the moths were tucked away in the fridge, until their safe release this evening. 4 © Naturetrek July 21
The Isle of Coll in Summer Tour Report Lively Brown Hares were visible all around the cottage as we set off for our next destination. A late departing (or was it early returning?) Golden Plover flew over the minibus as we made our way to Killunaig, the base-camp for our walk up into the eastern moors and bogs. Again Heath Spotted Orchids were out in abundance, as were a couple of arctic-alpine specialists which grow on Coll virtually at sea-level: Mountain Everlasting (known as the Scottish edelweiss) and Creeping Willow (whose fluffy catkins cast a downy carpet around each plant). As we headed into the hills, this became the ‘walk of the worts’ (a suffix which indicates that a plant was considered to have some medicinal properties), with lousewort, butterwort, spleenwort, milkwort, spearwort and pennywort all being recorded. We shared examples of some important plant-derived medicines such as the chemotherapy drug docetaxel (which was originally made from yew clippings) and aspirin (derived from willow bark, which has been chewed for pain relief since the time of the ancient Egyptians). All around us U-shaped valleys and perched erratics told us this was a landscape carved by ice during the last glaciation. We lunched at the Loch where rosettes of Water Lobelia and Pipewort (another wort!) were visible in the shallow water – the latter is one of Europe’s rarest plants which should be in flower (“like blue liquorice allsorts on knitting needles” our guide explained) when the July group visits. Over our sandwiches and huge slices of home-made cake, we were shown how Purple Moorgrass and Common Reed both have a line of hairs at the leaf junction, instead of the thin, papery ligule of other grasses. Our examination of the specimens proffered was interrupted by a magnificent male Hen Harrier flying low over the loch. On our return to the minibus we passed a couple of ancient cairn burials (typically hollowed out from past excavations) and a possible chambered cairn. After an early supper, we decided to make the most of the fine weather and headed out for a walk to Caolas an Eilean near the village. On this ungrazed area, several new moorland plants were apparent including Bilberry, Crowberry, Eared Willow and the Hare’s-tail Cotton-grass. We settled at the shore to look across the rocky bay before us, requisitioning as a rudimentary bench what the artists in the group felt sure must be a washed-up ship’s mast (despite the scientists’ insistence that it was just a telegraph pole). This was one of those rare occasions when nature provided what we were hoping for. After a few minutes (during which we enjoyed an Arctic Skua loafing on a rock and a female Hen Harrier flying past), the cries of a Herring Gull drew our attention to the very rock on which the skua had been perched. As we watched, a Eurasian Otter briefly appeared but, disturbed by the gull’s attentions, it clambered over the seaweed and back into the water. We scanned the sea excitedly and relocated the otter, swimming and diving a little further out in the bay. The gull soon re-found it as well, and swooped down at it each time it surfaced. This attention drove the otter further from view and eventually it climbed up onto a headland and slipped out of sight. Everyone was thrilled at what remains a rare experience for most people – and our leader’s admonition to “always follow the gulls” was a lesson well-learned. Day 5 Wednesday 9th June RSPB Reserve at Totronald The next day began wet and dreary so we spent the morning with coffee and home-made ginger biscuits catching up with our notes and the all-important Naturetrek species lists. After an early lunch, but with the rain still falling, we headed out to the RSPB reserve at Totronald – at the heart of Coll’s Corncrake kingdom. And sure enough, it did not let us down. As soon as we arrived, a Corncrake was seen scurrying across the car park and under the gate – “rat-like” one of our group said, which was perhaps a little unfair but we knew what she meant. © Naturetrek July 21 5
The Isle of Coll in Summer Tour Report The same individual then played hide-and-seek with us for 20 minutes as it came in and out of view moving between shorter and taller vegetation. “There! There in the bluebells!” one of the group shouted. The rest of us desperately looked for a clump of bluebells before she realised her mistake. “Sorry, I panicked! I meant buttercups,” which was actually no more helpful, given how many buttercups there were! Despite the laughter, we all managed decent views and some half-decent photos. We also saw and heard the distinctive sights and sounds of the three wet grassland waders: Snipe, Redshank and Lapwing. From here we walked out into the dunes, where the machair (late this year after the cold dry spring) was beginning to take hold. The wild flowers were wonderful, among them Bloody Cranesbill, Lesser Meadow Rue, Yellow-rattle and yet another local speciality, Mossy Saxifrage. From here we went onto the acid moorland where we were confronted by many of the species we had enjoyed the previous day: Common Butterwort, Tormentil, Common Sundew, Heath Spotted Orchid, Black Bog Rush and the sweet-smelling Bog Myrtle. Then to the beach were we were greeted by the spectacle of two dozen Little Terns, squabbling as they whirred about on their stiff little wings. Here, a Turnstone in lavish breeding regalia, its harlequin black and white now suffused with a brick-red, showed us why its proper name includes the adjective ‘ruddy’. As the showers closed in again we headed up and over the hill back to the minibus and home. Day 6 Thursday 10th June A coastal walk at Killunaig and the ascent of Ben Hogh A drier and sunnier day today which saw us back at Killunaig for a morning walk in the dunes. We were greeted by a couple of Common Gulls feeding on the short grass, their dainty appearance and manner in marked contrast to the stocky brute of a Herring Gull nearby. The ruins of the ancient chapel here often provide some botanical interest and, sure enough, we found Hart’s-tongue Fern, Maiden-hair Spleenwort and Oxeye Daisy (the latter especially, a surprisingly scarce plant on Coll). At the beach, a boulder field provided further evidence of Coll’s glacial past, while the salt-marsh among the rocks provided several new species: Marsh Arrowgrass, Distant Sedge, Sea Milkwort and Common Scurvy-grass – used on long voyages by sailors as a source of Vitamin C (if they but knew it). While Rock Pipits and Common Sandpipers sang their very different songs around us, we were shown a marvellous feature on the foreshore: a basalt dyke running through the gneiss and out to sea. It is known locally as the Queen’s Staircase, for the blocky sections which form a series of steps along it and, although the rock is black, it is densely colonised by a pale grey lichen which gives it a striking appearance. And in the inter-tidal, the staircase has another surprise: to the geologist, a metre-deep hollow scoured out by a rolling stone; to the anthropologist, a wishing well (‘the well of the king’s daughter’) surrounded by rusting coins pushed into the cracks in the rocks. As we walked up onto the machair, one of the group pointed out the differences between the two telegraph poles doubling as fence posts: the first, with irregular spike marks from the boots of the engineers who climbed up to maintain the lines; the second, with regular indentations left by the industrial roller which handled the pole as it was timber-treated (like a baked potato jabbed with a knife before it goes in the oven). Isn’t it great what different knowledge Naturetrek clients can bring to these trips! 6 © Naturetrek July 21
The Isle of Coll in Summer Tour Report In the machair, the Early Marsh Orchids were once again flowering in abundance in the wet dune slacks. But it was the almost invisible Adder’s-tongue Fern that had our leader dancing a jig of delight – a tiny green fern with a spathe-and-spadix arrangement (think Lords-and-ladies only smaller) – the first he had seen on the island. On the drier bare ground on the dune sides, Thyme-leaved Sandwort, Changing Forget-me-not and two species of Mouse-ear were all flowering. Our next treat was a pre-historic treasure. Protected by the sands for thousands of years, the (probably) bronze-age cist burial site we were shown was first discovered and excavated in the 1970s, before almost being lost again among the Marram grass. Its proximity to the graveyard beside the ancient chapel suggests that, for a very long time, this has been a place where people have consigned their loved ones to the ground. Lunch was taken at the guest house before we headed back out to our guide’s cottage from where we embarked on the ascent of Coll’s highest peak, Ben Hogh – a challenging 104m above sea level! By now we were familiar with most of the moorland flowers, though the unobtrusive Common Spike-rush, Heath Speedwell and Star Sedge were new to us. An interesting discussion about the relative lack of trees on Coll was triggered by the presence (not for the first time this week) of Bluebells and Wood Sorrel on an inaccessible cliff-face: had Coll always been devoid of trees or were these woodland indicators a sign that trees were once far more common on Coll, even if most of the evidence has since been grazed away by the sheep? We took tea and cakes on the veranda before returning once again to the village for our last night on Coll. Day 7 Friday 11th June Arinagour to Oban ferry We packed our things into our bags, and our bags into the minibus, and bade farewell to our landlady before heading down to the ferry terminal. Here we sat and watched the wildlife go by for an hour before the ferry arrived from Tiree on route back to Oban. A pair of Red-throated Divers feeding on the sea-loch proved to be the first of our trip, while Shags, Gannets and Arctic Terns fed further out to sea. A Bonxie (Great Skua) caused some excitement (for those watching as well as for the birds to which they were paying close attention). A Brown Rat on the rocky shore below the pier generated somewhat less interest, though it was another Scottish mammal for the list! From the ferry we saw plenty of Puffins, Guillemots and Manx Shearwaters, but sadly no cetaceans were on show on this crossing. The highlight, though, was reserved until we were almost in Oban harbour: an Otter busily fishing close to the shore, seemingly unfazed by the vast boat chugging past. Having disembarked, we said our final farewells on the quayside – reflecting on a great week with the wonderful wildlife of the Isle of Coll. © Naturetrek July 21 7
The Isle of Coll in Summer Tour Report Receive our e-newsletter Join the Naturetrek e-mailing list and be the first to hear about new tours, additional departures and new dates, tour reports and special offers. Visit www.naturetrek.co.uk to sign up. Social Media We’re social! Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and be the first to hear about the launch of new tours, offers and exciting sightings and photos from our recently returned holidays. 8 © Naturetrek July 21
Tour Report The Isle of Coll in Summer
Species Lists
Birds (✓ = recorded but not counted)
June 2021
Common name Scientific name 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Isle of Coll
1 Red-throated Diver Gavia stellata 2
2 Fulmar Fulmarus glacialis ✓
3 Manx Shearwater Puffinus puffinus ✓ ✓ ✓
4 Gannet Morus bassanus ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
5 Shag Phalacrocorax aristotelis ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
6 Grey Heron Ardea cinerea ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
7 Greylag Goose Anser anser ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
9 Shelduck Tadorna tadorna ✓
10 Mallard Anas platyrhynchos ✓ ✓ ✓
11 Eider Somateria mollissima ✓ ✓
12 Red-breasted Merganser Mergus serrator ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
13 Hen Harrier Circus cyaneus ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
14 Buzzard Buteo buteo ✓ ✓
15 Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus ✓
16 Kestrel Falco tinnunculus ✓
17 Corncrake Crex crex ✓ ✓ ✓
18 Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
19 Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula ✓
20 Golden Plover Pluvialis apricaria ✓
21 Lapwing Vanellus vanellus ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
22 Sanderling Calidris alba 15
23 Dunlin Calidris alpina 3
24 Turnstone Arenaria interpres 4
25 Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos ✓ ✓
26 Redshank Tringa totanus ✓ ✓ ✓
28 Snipe Gallinago gallinago ✓
29 Great Skua Stercorarius skua ✓ ✓
30 Arctic Skua Stercorarius parasiticus 2+2 1
© Naturetrek July 21 1The Isle of Coll in Summer Tour Report
June 2021
Common name Scientific name 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
31 Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus 2
32 Common Gull Larus canus ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
33 Herring Gull Larus argentatus ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
34 Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
35 Great Black-backed Gull Larus marinus ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
36 Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla ✓ ✓
37 Little Tern Sternula albifrons ✓
38 Arctic Tern Sterna paradisaea ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
39 Puffin Fratercula arctica ✓ ✓
40 Black Guillemot Cepphus grylle ✓ ✓ ✓
41 Guillemot Uria aalge ✓ ✓
42 Rock Dove Columba livia ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
43 Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
44 Cuckoo Cuculus canorus ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
45 Skylark Alauda arvensis ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
46 Sand Martin Riparia riparia ✓ ✓
47 Swallow Hirundo rustica ✓ ✓
48 Rock Pipit Anthus petrosus ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
49 Meadow Pipit Anthus pratensis ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
50 Pied Wagtail Motacilla alba yarrellii ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
51 Wren Troglodytes troglodytes ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
52 Dunnock Prunella modularis ✓
53 Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
54 Stonechat Saxicola rubicola ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
55 Song Thrush Turdus philomelos ✓ ✓
56 Blackbird Turdus merula ✓
57 Sedge Warbler Acrocephalus schoenobaenus ✓ ✓
58 Willow Warbler Phylloscopus trochilus ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
59 Common Whitethroat Sylvia communis ✓ ✓
60 Hooded Crow Corvus cornix ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
61 Raven Corvus corax ✓ ✓ ✓
62 Starling Sturnus vulgaris ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
2 © Naturetrek July 21The Isle of Coll in Summer Tour Report
June 2021
Common name Scientific name 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
63 House Sparrow Passer domesticus ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
64 Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs ✓ ✓
65 Linnet Linaria cannabina ✓ ✓ ✓
66 Lesser Redpoll Acanthis cabaret ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
67 Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis ✓ ✓ ✓
68 Reed Bunting Emberiza schoeniclus ✓ ✓
Other vertebrates
June 2021
Common name Scientific name 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Mammals
1 European Rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus ✓
2 Brown Hare Lepus europaeus ✓ ✓ ✓
3 Brown Rat Rattus norvegicus ✓
4 European Otter Lutra lutra ✓ ✓
5 Harbour Seal Phoca vitulina ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
6 Grey Seal Halichoerus grypus ✓ ✓
7 Minke Whale Balaenoptera acutorostrata ?
8 Common Dolphin Delphinus delphus ?
9 Harbour Porpoise Phocoena phocoena 4
Reptiles
10 Viviparous Lizard Zootoca vivipara ✓
Fish
11 Sand Eel Ammodytidae sp ✓
12 Dog Fish Squalus acanthas egg
case
© Naturetrek July 21 3The Isle of Coll in Summer Tour Report
Plants
Frequency
(R=rare,
Scientific Name Common Name O=occasional,
F=frequent,
A=abundant)
1 Achillea millefolium Yarrow O
2 Anthyllis vulneraria Kidney Vetch O
3 Arabis hirsuta Hairy Rock-cress O
4 Arctium nemorosum Wood Burdock O
Thyme-leaved
5 Arenaria serpyllifolia O
Sandwort
6 Bellis perennis Daisy A
7 Cardamine pratensis Cuckooflower F
8 Centaurea nigra Common Knapweed O
9 Cerastium diffusum Sea Mouse-ear O
10 Cerastium fontanum Common Mouse-ear O
Chrysanthemum
11 Oxeye Daisy R
leucanthemum
Common-spotted
12 Dactylorhiza fuchsii R
Orchid
13 Daucus carota Wild Carrot O
14 Erodium cicutarium Stork's-bill O
15 Galium verum Lady's Bedstraw F
16 Geranium sanguineum Bloody Crane's-bill F
17 Hypochaeris radicata Common Cat's-ear O
18 Lathyrus pratensis Meadow Vetchling O
19 Lotus corniculatus Bird's-foot Trefoil A
Changing Forget-me-
20 Myosotis discolor R
not
21 Pilosella officinarum Mouse-ear Hawkweed O
22 Polygala vulgaris Common Milkwort F
23 Potentilla anserina Silverweed A
24 Ranunculus acris Meadow Buttercup O
25 Ranunculus bulbosus Bulbous Buttercup A
26 Rhinanthus minor Yellow-rattle O
4 © Naturetrek July 21The Isle of Coll in Summer Tour Report
Frequency
(R=rare,
Scientific Name Common Name O=occasional,
F=frequent,
A=abundant)
27 Rumex acetosa Common Sorrel O
28 Saxifraga hypnoides Mossy Saxifrage F
29 Scilla verna Spring Squill O
30 Thalictrum minus Lesser Meadow-rue F
31 Tussilago farfara Coltsfoot R
32 Veronica anagallis-aquatica Blue Water Speedwell R
33 Veronica chamaedrys Germander Speedwell O
34 Vicia sativa Common Vetch O
35 Viola tricolor ssp curtisii Field Pansy R
36 Ammophila arenaria Marram Grass A
37 Avenula pubescens Downy Oat-grass A
38 Carex arenaria Sand Sedge A
39 Carex flacca Glaucous Sedge F
40 Catapodium marinum Sea Hard Grass R
41 Cynosurus cristatus Crested Dog's-tail F
42 Equisetum arvense Field Horsetail A
43 Koeleria macrantha Crested Hair-grass O
44 Luzula campestris Field Wood-rush O
45 Ophioglossum vulgatum Adder's-tongue Fern R
46 Angelica sylvestris Wild Angelica O
47 Antennaria dioica Mountain Everlasting O
48 Calluna vulgaris Ling Heather A
49 Caltha palustris Marsh Marigold A
50 Cirsium arvense Creeping Thistle F
51 Cirsium palustre Marsh Thistle O
52 Cirsium vulgare Spear Thistle R
53 Dactylorhiza incarnata Early Marsh Orchid F
54 Dactylorhiza maculata Heath Spotted Orchid A
© Naturetrek July 21 5The Isle of Coll in Summer Tour Report
Frequency
(R=rare,
Scientific Name Common Name O=occasional,
F=frequent,
A=abundant)
55 Drosera intermedia Oblong-leaved Sundew R
56 Drosera rotundifolia Round-leaved Sundew O
57 Empetrum nigrum Crowberry R
58 Erica cinerea Bell Heather A
59 Erica tetralix Cross-leaved Heath F
60 Eriocaulon aquaticum Pipewort R
61 Filipendula ulmaria Meadowsweet O
62 Galium saxatile Heath Bedstraw O
63 Juniperus communis Common Juniper O
64 Hydrocotyle vulgaris Marsh Pennywort F
65 Iris pseudacorus Yellow Flag Iris F
66 Lobelia dortmanna Water Lobelia R
67 Lychnis flos-cuculi Ragged Robin R
68 Mentha aquatica Water Mint O
69 Menyanthes trifoliata Bogbean O
70 Myrica gale Bog Myrtle F
71 Nymphaea alba White Water Lily F
72 Orchis mascula Early Purple Orchid R
73 Pedicularis palustris Marsh Lousewort O
74 Pedicularis sylvatica Common Lousewort O
75 Pinguicula vulgaris Common Butterwort F
76 Polygala serpyllifolia Heath Milkwort F
77 Potamogeton polygonifolius Bog Pondweed F
78 Potentilla erecta Tormentil A
79 Ranunculus flammula Lesser Spearwort O
80 Salix repens Creeping Willow F
81 Sedum anglicum English Stonecrop O
82 Senecio aquaticus Marsh Ragwort O
83 Succisa pratensis Devil's-bit Scabious O
84 Thymus polytrichus Wild Thyme F
6 © Naturetrek July 21The Isle of Coll in Summer Tour Report
Frequency
(R=rare,
Scientific Name Common Name O=occasional,
F=frequent,
A=abundant)
85 Vaccinium myrtillus Bilberry R
86 Veronica officinalis Heath Speedwell R
87 Viola riviniana Common Dog Violet O
88 Anthoxanthum odoratum Sweet Vernal Grass A
89 Blechnum spicant Hard Fern F
90 Carex echinata Star Sedge O
91 Carex nigra Common Sedge F
92 Carex panicea Carnation Sedge F
93 Eleocharis palustris Common Spike-rush O
94 Eriophorum angustifolium Common Cotton-grass A
95 Eriophorum vaginatum Hare's-tail Cotton-grass O
96 Festuca vivipara Viviparous Fescue O
97 Juncus effusus Soft Rush O
98 Juncus inflexus Hard Rush O
99 Molinia purpurea Purple Moorgrass A
100 Nardus stricta Mat Grass F
101 Osmunda regalis Royal Fern R
102 Phragmites australis Common Reed O
103 Schoenus nigricans Black Bog Rush F
104 Trichophorum cespitosum Deergrass F
105 Betula pubescens Downy Birch O
106 Erinus alpinus Fairy Foxglove R
107 Hedera helix Ivy R
108 Hyacinthoides non-scripta Bluebell O
109 Lonicera periclymenum Honeysuckle O
110 Oxalis acetosella Wood Sorrel R
111 Primula vulgaris Primrose O
112 Populus tremula Aspen R
© Naturetrek July 21 7The Isle of Coll in Summer Tour Report
Frequency
(R=rare,
Scientific Name Common Name O=occasional,
F=frequent,
A=abundant)
113 Salix aurita Eared Willow F
114 Sorbus aucuparia Rowan O
115 Asplenium adiantum-nigrum Black Spleenwort R
116 Asplenium trichomanes Maidenhair Spleenwort R
117 Asplenium scolopendrium Hart's-tongue Fern R
118 Armeria maritima Thrift A
119 Cochlearia officinalis Common Scurvygrass F
120 Glaux maritima Sea Milkwort F
121 Rumex crispus Curled Dock O
122 Sedum rosea Roseroot O
123 Silene uniflora Sea Campion R
124 Triglochin palustris Marsh Arrow-grass R
125 Asplenium marinum Sea Spleenwort R
126 Carex distans Distant Sedge R
127 Ascophyllum nodosum Egg Wrack O
128 Corallina sp Coral-weed R
129 Fucus serratus Toothed Wrack O
130 Fucus spiralis Spiral Wrack O
131 Fucus vesiculosus Bladder Wrack O
132 Laminaria digitata Oar Weed O
133 Laminaria hyperborea Cuvie F
134 Laminaria saccharina Sea Belt O
135 Pelvetia canaliculata Channeled Wrack O
136 Saccorhiza polyschides Furbelows O
8 © Naturetrek July 21The Isle of Coll in Summer Tour Report
Frequency
(R=rare,
Scientific Name Common Name O=occasional,
F=frequent,
A=abundant)
137 Ulva intestinalis Gut-weed R
138 Ajuga reptans Bugle O
139 Allium ursinum Ramsons O
140 Anemone nemorosa Wood Anemone O
141 Conopodium majus Pignut O
142 Fragaria vesca Wild Strawberry O
143 Geranium robertianum Herb Robert O
144 Geum rivale Water Avens R
145 Lysimachia nemorum Yellow Pimpernel O
146 Melampyrum pratense Common Cow-wheat O
147 Picea sitchensis Sitka Spruce F
148 Rubus idaeus Raspberry O
149 Sanicula europaea Sanicle R
150 Stellaria holostea Greater Stitchwort O
151 Tilia cordata Small-leaved Lime R
152 Equisetum sylvaticum Wood Horsetail R
153 Juncus squarrosus Heath Rush R
154 Polypodium vulgare Common Polypody O
155 Polytrichum juniperinum Juniper Haircap Moss O
156 Luzula multiflora Heath Wood-rush O
157 Luzula pilosa Hairy Wood-rush O
158 Luzula sylvatica Great Woodrush O
© Naturetrek July 21 9The Isle of Coll in Summer Tour Report
Others
June 2021
Common name Scientific name 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Isle of Coll
1 Moss Carder Bee Bombus muscorum ✓ ✓
2 Small Heath Coenonympha pamphilus ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
3 Green-veined White Pieris napi ✓
4 Common Heath (moth) Ematurga atomaria ✓
5 Belted Beauty Lycia zonaria ✓
6 Fox Moth Macrothylacia rubi ✓
7 Map-winged Swift Hepialus fusconebulosa ✓
8 Knotgrass (moth) Acronicta rumicis ✓
9 Light Knotgrass Acronicta menyanthidis ✓
10 Poplar Hawk-moth Laothoe populi ✓
11 Elephant Hawk-moth Deilephila elpenor ✓
12 Buff Ermine Spilarctia luteum ✓
13 White Ermine Spilosoma lubricipeda ✓
14 Ruby Tiger Phragmatobia fuliginosa ✓
15 Dor Beetle Geotrupes stercorarius ✓ ✓
16 Garden Chafer Phyllopertha horticola ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
17 Click beetle sp Elateridae sp
18 Common Starfish Asterias rubens ✓
19 Beadlet Anenome Actinia equina ✓
20 Comb Jelly Ctenophoridae ✓
21 Moon Jellyfish Aurelia aurita ✓
22 Edible Crab Cancer pagurus ✓
23 Spider Crab Hyas araneus ✓
24 Sea Mat (bryozoan) Bryozoa ✓
10 © Naturetrek July 21The Isle of Coll in Summer Tour Report
June 2021
Common name Scientific name 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Mainland Argyll - Glasdrum and Fearnoch
25 Chequered Skipper Carterocephalus palaemon ✓
26 Pearl-bordered Fritillary Boloria euphrosyne ✓
27 Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary Boloria selene ✓
28 Small Copper Lycaena phlaeas ✓
29 Orange Tip Anthocharis cardamines ✓
30 Peacock Inachis io ✓
31 Common Blue Polyommatus icarus ✓
32 Small Heath Coenonympha pamphilus ✓
33 White-spotted Sable Anania funebris ✓
34 Brown Silver-lines Petrophora chlorosata ✓
35 Mother Shipton's Moth Callistege mi ✓
36 Chimney Sweeper Moth Odezia atrata ✓
37 Clouded Border Lomaspilis marginata ✓
38 Speckled Yellow Pseudopanthera macularia ✓
39 Emperor Dragonfly Anax imperator ✓
40 Copper Rose Chafer Cetonia cuprea ✓
41 Scorpionfly Panorpa comunis ✓
42 Wood Ant Formica sp ✓
© Naturetrek July 21 11You can also read
